Dance Dance Revolution used to rule the rhythm game roost. But during the last console generation, less and less people felt compelled to buy peripheral-based games. It didn't help that Konami dropped some truly abysmal home console versions of the game - chockful of terrible tracklists and rife with DLC. After 2011's Dance Dance Revolution II flopped, it was the final nail in DDR's coffin.
To Konami's credit, they kept up good work at the arcade. Dance Dance Revolution A was a smash-hit in the community, and A20 has proven to already be an equivalent success. But any hopes of a new home console game dwindled with each passing year - until🅷 now.
Today, Konami announced Dance Dance Revolution V, the first new home version of the game in almost ten years. Exclusive to the PC, the game will support both keyboards and dance pads. There's no release window, nor ꦓany confirmation that the game will head West.
Right now, Konami's running an open alpha for the game. If you happen to have a Konami ID, which you'd likely do if you've spe🤪nt any time with the latest arcade games, you can join the alpha. It features 15 popular arcade tracks, and doesn't have an end date announced yet.
I'm of two minds about this. I play DDR every day, and the idea of a new home console game is exciting. But this has been a boutique game for a while now, with hard pads becoming more and more prohibitively expensive with each passing year. Plus, what's to sway people who already have decent home pads away from StepMania? This m🅷ove seems to fundamentally misunderstand the appeal of a home DDR - that ease of access for console gamers is a must if they want this to catch on.
With any luck, Konami doesn't bungle this release, and more people can enjoy the objective best rhythm game at home. As of this writing, no release date has been set, and the game is currently only annou💧nced𓄧 for Japanese release.